Sphera Franchise Group (BVB symbol:SFG), the largest group in the foodservice industry in Romania, which operates KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in a franchise system, benefits from the 4th of June of the Issuer's Market Maker services offered by BRK Financial Group. Sphera Franchise Group was listed in 2017 on the Main Market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, and currently has a market capitalization of RON 1.3 bn (EUR 268 mn).
"The program developed by the Bucharest Stock Exchange for Market Makers is part of our efforts to improve the liquidity of the stock market. We are pleased with the large number of listed companies that benefit from the Issuer's Market Maker services and the interest of brokers to be actively involved in supporting liquidity. The advantages are felt by all stakeholders of the capital market: listed companies, brokers, investors. I congratulate the Sphera Franchise Group team for their constant involvement in promoting SFG's equity story, and BRK Financial Group for their dedication to increasing the liquidity of the capital market", said Adrian Tanase, CEO of the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
"At Sphera Franchise Group, we are happy that our solid financial and commercial performance has been recognized by the market, as reflected in the performance of SFG shares on the Bucharest Stock Exchange last year. In addition to our primary concern for continued business growth, we are dedicated to engaging with our investors and rewarding their trust. Since the IPO, we have been a consistent dividend payer, and since 2020 we have implemented a strategy to increase the liquidity of SFG shares, thereby providing our shareholders and potential investors with expanded trading and investment opportunities. We are therefore delighted that, starting today, Sphera Franchise Group and all our investors will benefit from a second market maker, making investing in SFG even more attractive than before. We thank BRK Financial Group for this partnership and we are happy for our collaboration", said Valentin Bude?, CFO, Sphera Franchise Group.
The SFG share is the 19th financial instrument of a listed company for which BRK Financial Group provides Issuer Market Maker services. The total number of shares, on both BVB markets, that benefit from the Issuer's Market Maker services reaches to 25.
"We are pleased to announce the signing of a new partnership regarding market maker services for issuers, within which we aim to support the improvement of the liquidity of Sphera Franchise Group shares. Increased liquidity helps reduce volatility and can ensure better representation in local or international indices. We have calibrated a quotation package to help meet the objective of increasing liquidity, and our commitment within this partnership consists in quoting a minimum volume of 4,000 shares, both on the buy and sell side, at a spread of a maximum of 3%, and a presence in the market of at least 90% of the duration of the trading sessions", said Paul Stiopei, Operations Director of BRK Financial Group.
Sphera Franchise Group shares are included in the benchmark indices BET and BET-TR, the index that also includes dividends given by companies included in BET index. SFG shares are also present in the BET-BK, BET-TRN, BET-XT, BET-XT-TR, BET-XT-TRN and BETPlus indices. The company is also included in the FTSE Russell Emerging Markets indices, the FTSE Global Micro Cap, and the MSCI Frontier Markets indices.
Sphera Franchise Group benefits also, from 2023, from the Issuer's Market Maker services provided by Raiffeisen Bank International. The Issuer's Market Maker is the participant in the BVB trading system that has assumed the role of supporting the liquidity of a financial instrument. The specific parameters applicable to the Issuer's Market Maker activity carried out by BRK Financial Group for Sphera Franchise Group shares are available HERE.
More information on the general framework applicable to the MME programme is available HERE.
About Sphera Franchise Group
Sphera Franchise Group is the largest group in the food service industry in Romania, owning the companies that operate the franchise system of the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands in Romania and KFC in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, and in certain areas in Italy. The group owns more than 160 restaurants in the three markets and employs approximately 5,000 people. Sphera Franchise Group has been listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since 2017, under the symbol SFG, being the only HoReCa company included in the main BET index, as well as in the FTSE Global Microcap and the MSCI Frontier and Romania Markets Small Cap indices.
About BRK Financial Group
BRK Financial Group was established as a joint stock company in 1994, being one of the largest brokerage companies in Romania. With extensive experience in the capital market, it has also been the first and, to this day, the only financial investment services company listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange. BRK Financial Group's main activity is divided into two business segments, namely the brokerage segment and the trading segment. In the trading segment, the company operates proprietary trading, conducts market-making operations and operations with structured products. In the brokerage segment, the company operates client transactions, more specifically corporate operations. BRK Financial Group is a MIFID II investment firm, authorized and supervised by the Financial Supervisory Authority.